The Alternative
by VAmpireAcademy6
Summary: A different story for the Alternate Universe story i wrote with Matsiko. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP! :D  Rated m for future chapters ;D Changing the title...
1. Streets of Life

Queer as Folk: The Alternative

...

Disclaimer: Queer as Folk and the used lyrics or quotes in this fanfiction belong to their respective owners.

Summary:

The actions take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Justin Taylor is a sixteen year old runaway who has been living on the street for a few weeks. He ran away from a violent home in hope to have a better life but fate has its own plans.

Brian Kinney is twenty-six years old and the owner of the advertising company Kinnetic. He tries to pretend to be a cold and obnoxious person when it comes to business but those who are his friends and family know better. Throughout all of his adult life he keeps on trying to ignore the fact that his childhood and early teenager years were filled with violence and heartache due to having an alcoholic father and an uncaring mother who couldn't accept who he was.

What happens when Brian finds Justin?

...

Chapter 01: Streets Of Life

...

When you are young you usually think that you can conquer the world but if you are sixteen and on the street that is another story. Sadly that was Justin Taylor's reality.

It had been two weeks since the young boy had ran away from the retched place he used to call "home". He still had a hard time believing and accepting that he had to stay alive after all that had happened in his short life but he was certain that the choice he had made to leave that house was a good one. Ironically as it was, being on the street proved to be one hell of a lot better place to be than being under the same roof as his so called parent. Molested and beaten by his father, abandoned by his mother and sister, Justin had only himself to rely on ever since an early age so when he took the first step out of the door step he felt relief wash over him.

He already knew that the world was a cruel place but still he hoped that it couldn't be worse than being a domestic violence and sexual abuse victim each and every day. The teen was tired of bleeding, of pleading and never being heard, of being humiliated for simply being in the same house as Craig Taylor.

After the first few days out on the street his greatest fear became the thought of being found and brought back "home". Justin knew that he was only a sixteen year old and that gave his only remaining parent full custody rights over him so hiding turned main priority. The young boy knew that he was clever enough to remain well hidden but he also knew that the cops could always find him if they really wanted.

The thoughts of finding a job and a place to stay started to surface soon after. Justin knew that he would need a parental permission for most legal jobs and the idea of being a hustler sent shivers down his spine. The only option was staying at homeless shelters but he was sure that his age and even younger appearance would attract some social worker and that would draw a lot of problems for him. He also knew that his father had the reputation of a respected citizen and no one would believe Justin's words because he was the runaway who made his parent worried.

The only thing left was to stay in the alley he found as a hiding place.

...

_Craig Taylor was an ambitious man who went after his goals but he was also a man who had serious anger management issues. He married Jennifer Taylor when he was twenty-five years old and two years later had his first child with her – a son that they named Justin. Their family was considered to be a stereotypical one if not for Craig's occasional yelling and mean remarks. _

_Seven years later their daughter Molly was born. After her birth Craig went mentally unstable for a short period of time due to a lot of stress. During those few weeks something within the family happened, something that should have remained a dark secret. _

_The real tragedy began when Justin was twelve and his father's company went nearly bankrupt. The man began to take all of his frustrations out on his family. Things went from bad to worse and that continued for the next four years till Jennifer, Justin and Molly ran away. During those years Jennifer tried to protect her children as best as she could but the result was her reaching a state of being completely broken. _

_One day after Craig received a decline for a loan he went rampant and the shown anger and violence made Jennifer fear for her and Molly's lives. As soon as the man went out __of the house __she packed the most needed of belongings and left a note for Justin who was currently at school. _

_When the then fifteen year old boy returned home he found the whole __place __in chaos – everything was a mess, no object was on or in its rightful place._

"_Your mother has left and has taken your sister with her. They abandoned us", __h__e heard his father say in a drunken voice._

"_Are you going to abandon me, too? Tell me boy!"_

"_No...No...I wouldn't..."_

_And that was when the punches and kicks began but what they turned in to was unexpected to Justin. He suddenly felt his trousers being pulled down and then felt even more pain..._

_After that he was confined within his room and had no access to the world outside. At some point he understood that his father had finally lost everything and that explained in a twisted way why he had turned the young boy into an outlet for all his frustration and anger._

_After four months Justin had become sickly pale and looked unhealthily slim so he begged Craig to at least let him walk around the house with the promise that he wouldn't try to escape. The teen knew that his father was in need of serious mental help but kept those thoughts to himsel__f, knowing well what would happen if he voiced his opinion.__ With his new found "freedom" he made a plan and two months later he was out on the street._

_The first night out in the cold was the hardest for Justin due to the fear and insecurity that raged in his mind. When he decided to leave "home" for good, something his mother and sister had done six months prior, he thought of taking the most necessary of things – he took some food and bottled water, the money he had been saving since he had twelve, some clothes, his toothbrush and toothpaste, a hair brush, a couple of blankets and a pillow. _

_That night may have been tough but Justin felt in peace. He knew that for at least awhile he wouldn't have to deal with being used as a human toilet during the night nor that he would be used as a punching bag the next day by the man known as his father._

_The teen's body had been mistreated but what was truly damaged was his very soul. He feared being around a lot of people, he feared that strangers would want to do sexual things to him against his will__or maybe even kill him. _

_During that same first night the young boy knew that the only place in Pittsburgh where he could be fairly safe was Liberty Avenue – the part of the city where its gay village was situated. By now he doubted that he would ever be intimate with a woman in his life._

_When Justin reached the beginning of the avenue he read a sign - Tremont Str. There he found a Georgian style brick building and next to it an alley that looked to be a good hiding place since it gave a good view of who came or went and had a back exit._

_He took out his blankets, covered himself in them and curled up in the corner, trying to fall asleep._

_..._

On his first morning out on the street Justin decided to explore Liberty Avenue.

He found out that the few working joints were the clubs down the street and the flamboyantly decorated Liberty Diner, after all it was only 5 A.M. Diners were a good way to spend less money and get a lot of food, something that was in Justin's advantage, so the teen decided to check it out. When he walked in with his extra large and fully duffel bag he was glad that there were only four people in there and one of them being a waitress. Said waitress had a kitschy yet lovable appearance and when she started a conversation with Justin he instantly like her. Her name was Debbie.

For the past two weeks Justin came to the diner at around 6 A.M. with the statement that he was grabbing a bite before going to school. Of course he had an ulterior motive – only around that hour the diner was almost empty and that allowed him to keep his panic attacks under control.

"Hey Sunshine. How are you?"

"I'm fine", he casually smiled at her.

"Your usual?"

Justin nodded and she walked away to put in his order. He was occupying the last booth at the far end of the diner, where from he was almost invisible. When Debbie walked back to Justin, she noticed that he was paler than usual and a lot skinnier than she remembered him to be and that was very skinny. All though he was wearing a black sweatshirt and baggy jeans, he seemed as if he had lost weight.

"Are you sure you're okay?", she asked as she sat down and put her hand on top of his. She didn't expect him to pull his hand away in the startled manner he did nor did she fully believe his statement.

"I'm fine, I just have a lot of tests lately and that's stressing me."

"You know you can talk to me about everything and anything."

"I know, Deb. I know."

After finishing with his breakfast Justin told Debbie that he was going to school and then back "home." What she didn't know was that "home" was a cold alley.

…

_At twenty-six Brian Kinney was everything that most people dream__t__ to be throughout their whole lives – he was handsome, he was smart, he was a genius when it came to advertising and at his age he already had a company of his own. Of course his life didn't start out as a fairytale. _

_Brian had the luck to be born to Joan and Jack Kinney, two individuals who weren't meant to be parents. Ever since he had thirteen, Brian had to deal with Jack's kicks and punches and Joan's verbal abuse. His parents hated each other and it seamed that he was the perfect scapegoat for everything that happened._

_At fifteen Brian met Michael Novotny who was two years older than him and a class mate of his sister. Clare wasn't the best example of a big sister but at least she didn't blame him for her problems and she was also the only person in the Kinney household who showed him some kind of an affection. She usually stayed out of the house because she was __tired of __listening to J__oan__ and __Jack's__ quarrels but when she was around she was the one tending to Brian's wounds. _

_Clare was seventeen and thought of taking her little brother away with her when she turned eighteen but one day when the door bell rang and Brian opened the door __and found __a dark haired boy __standing there __everything changed._

"_Is Clare home? I really need some math notes she told me she had?"_

"_I'll get her."_

_A few seconds later the seventeen year old girl was talking to the brunet._

"_Michael! I have to ask you something before I hand you the notes."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Are you coming to Christy's party this Friday?"_

"_No, my mother is dragging me to some PFLAG event on Saturday morning."_

"_I really don't know how you can stand or even handle her."_

"_Trust me...being embarrassed turned __in to __my second nature but she's my mother and I love her so no chance on ditching her."_

"_Well I hope the notes help you", she then realized Brian was there and listening, "Oh and Michael...This is my little brother, Brian. Can you take care of him this Friday since I'll be at the party?"_

"_You are sooooooooo irresponsible but sure unless he's scared of queens and fairies."_

"_Oh, Michael don't even try to be funny since I'm sure he knows what we are talking about."_

_And then Brian spoke._

"_Yes I know what you are talking about and sis...I might be gay..."_

_Both Clare and Michael stared at him stupefied. _

_Later that week Brian met Debbie and Vic, Micheal's mother and uncle. Slowly the fifteen year old became best friends with Michael and at some point had the idea that he could skip some high school grades and have a college scholarship that would allow him to have a future career. _

_That idea turned out to be brilliant. _

_Brian finished high school at seventeen and got into Carnegie-Mello__n in__ the same year. He participated in all debates, classes and projects that were available. That won him extra points which allowed him to do an internship at the Vanguard advertising agency in Pittsburgh __during his __ second year of college. His original ideas and professional attitude gained him a permanent position at said company and __four__ years later he was a partner. At twenty-five and with the encouragement of his sister, best friend, surrogate mother __and newly-gained friend Lindsay __he decided to have a company of his own. It was an uneasy start but after winning a campaign for HIV __patients __medication things went stable and Kinnetic turned Vanguard's main competition. A year later, Brian's company was the absolute leader on Pittsburgh's advertising market._

...

For two weeks Brian had been hearing strange noises coming from the alley next to his building. Tremont Street was considered to be a good and quiet street so each and every sound that was out of the ordinary would and could be heard. He ignored the turmoil during the first nights but after a week had passed and the noise remained he realized that something was seriously wrong and became slightly alerted.

At some point he started to ask his friends if they knew something about weird occurrences that were mentioned on the news but the answer would always be "No".

By the end of the second week he got a call from Debbie that got his attention. When he got to the diner he got surprised by the fact that the usually nonchalant woman was acting nervous.

"Deb, what's going on?"

"A couple of minutes ago Sunshine was here and he looked paler and skinnier than ever before. What was disturbing was that he wore the same sweatshirt and jeans that he had been wearing for the past two weeks. He also had that ridiculously large stuffed duffel bag of his. I don't know what's going on but if I'm connecting the dots right then your alley problem might get solved."

"Deb...wait! Who's Sunshine?"

"His name is Justin Taylor. He is sixteen, has blond hair and blue eyes. His smile can lit up a whole room so I call him "Sunshine". He always seems nervous and stressed out so if you see him be careful not to startle him."

„You mean?"

"I'm not sure but I think I am right. Tremont is just five minutes away from here."

"So what else can you tell me about that kid?"

"He reminds me of you when you were fifteen."

Those words sent a chill down Brian's spine. He instinctively knew that he had to find the boy known under the name of Justin Taylor as soon as possible.

...


	2. Finders Keepers

Chapter 02: Finders Keepers

...

Blood is like water,  
The bath that you poured me,  
Has drained and it's gone.

Don't blame it on your son.

And the song you sing today  
Wasn't always in your head,  
The words you tryin' to say,  
Are the ones you shouldn've said,  
They're glistening like diamonds.

Go out and find'em.

The world is full of diamonds,  
Go out and find'em,  
But don't blame your daughter.

The Cardigans – Don't Blame Your Daughter (Diamonds)

...

Lying in bed, sucking on a cigarette and thinking about a certain blond, surely Brian Kinney had better work to do but then again he just couldn't concentrate on doing anything else but the said above.

It had been three days since Debbie had told Brian about Justin's existence. Even though he was considered to be a genius or at least very empathetic and perspicacious the young man had no idea of how he could help the teenage boy. It seemed as if Justin's life had been and was far worse than what his own life had been and that was reason enough for Brian to try and find the young boy.

There were a few problems though.

The first one was of how Brian could make sure that Justin was in fact homeless? Debbie had told him that the blond dragged a large duffel bag with himself all of the time, that he was progressively loosing weigh and that he spent a lot of time in the diner's bathroom, but was that enough information? Maybe the kid was simply a weirdo.

The second problem was of how it was expected of him to proceed towards the teen's situation. If he had run away from home it meant that it must have been some unbearably awful place. If he was in foster care or was adopted it meant that he was either antisocial or had problems from the past that he didn't want any strangers to find out about. Either way the brunet knew that Justin was running away from someone or something.

Suddenly Brian Kinney got one of his splendid ideas.

He got up from his bed and walked over to one of the drawers, where he pulled out a video camera from. Ever the technologies hog, Brian had purchased one of Sony's latest 2010 models which had night vision, a MicroSD card slot and also a Li-ion battery which all allowed the record to be extra long and clear. In other words - he was well equipped.

The brunet knew that if he placed the camera on the right spot and the battery lasted long enough he could find the answers to some of his questions. After all, images usually said a lot more than words could ever express.

...

"_You should go out more often, you know?"_

"_Because?"_

"_Because you can't stay single for the rest of your life._

"_I'm a fag. It's not like I'm expected to continue the great Kinney bloodline nor do I really want to. __And I had my fun a few years ago, now my job is far more important than being a tweaked out club boy.__"_

"_Oh, please!"_

"_Its my life. I make the choices."_

„_Honey, let me ask you what we __have been doing__ every Friday __since two years?"_

"_I invite you to spend the evening with me?"_

"_And we act as if we __were__ two teen girls. No sunshine nor moonshine, just you using me as some kind of therapist. __You should take example from Michael.__"_

„_I should go shake my__ ass at Babylon? __And Deb...__I have alcoholic genes from both sides of the family. I can't risk __becoming something worse than what I already am__. __That rule __goes for weed and other drugs, __too.__"_

"_Brian! You are..._

"_What? Boring?"_

"_No...You are too serious and self-centered."_

"_You know me best, mother."_

"_I'm worrying about you. You need to __relax more often__."_

"_Dancing isn't my thing __these days__..."_

"_Books and old movies are, I know."_

"_And you know that talking to me is a pleasurable act."_

"_Stop smiling like the Cheshire cat, you little shit."_

"_Now, now. You just hurt my feelings."_

"_Those are damaged beyond repair and I know that you talking to me is your only way to keep your balance."_

"_Deb, please don't turn in to a shrink extraordinaire. I ignored you calling yourself "my therapist" once but enough is enough."_

"_I just fear you being left alone."_

"_Don't."_

"_How can I not fear that happening when you isolate yourself from having any social contacts outside of work. That's not healthy nor is it sane."_

"_You telling me I need lithium? You know that shit'll make me fat?"_

"_Smartass."_

"_Just don't worry. When I find the right guy I'll turn him my partner."_

"_But when will the right guy come? Knowing your picky taste it might be never."_

"_It's only time. Eventually things'll happen as they are meant to be."_

"_Since when do you believe in fate?"_

"_I don't."_

"_You are such a liar."_

"_It's not laying if they make you lie." _

_... _

When the next day came and the clock indicated that it was 7 P.M., Brian put his plan in to action. Once again he didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary while he was in the alley and because of that he went straight back home after he placed the camera. "Home", at least in time the young man had found a place that he could call "home", something that his own parents couldn't and wouldn't provide him with.

…

Slowly the darkness of the night embraced the city. It was a night of anticipation and hope, a night that was replaced by the bright lights of a day that could change lives.

The first task on Brian's schedule for the day was to check if his plan had succeeded. He put on some casual clothes, went down the stairs and then straight in to the alley.

He found the camera at the exact same spot where he had left it. The rather tall young man picked up his possession and took out the SD card which he put directly in to his laptop the moment he was back at his loft. Brian started to play the record with high hopes of finding the solutions to some of his problems. However as he finished playing it his mood drastically changed - sadly there was noting useful on the memory card.

Even though that first night faced Brian with a failure, he didn't feel discouraged and so for the next two weeks he kept on placing the camera under different angles in the alley. During that time he received news from Debbie about Justin, news that weren't cheery. In her words Justin's clothes were dirty and abnormally large on him, his hair had become long and greasy, his eyes looked empty and his behavior had changed to one of a very paranoid person. Knowing those facts made Brian feel helpless, something he hadn't experienced in nearly ten years.

And then it happened, twenty days after Brian heard Justin's name for the first time he saw his face. No, he didn't want to see or confront the teen before he had any evidence or serious proof that the teen was indeed living on the street but seeing Justin's face...Brian's hearth practically skipped a beat and his breath got caught in his lungs - he was looking at the most innocent and truly beautiful creature he had ever seen.

Apart from that the view was sickening. The teen was wrapped up in a few blankets which Brian suspected were kept in the duffel bag that Debbie had mentioned. It was obvious that they were dirty and not very warm since Justin's body was shivering and he was tossing and turning in his sleep. But what truly pained Brian was the plea that he young boy uttered in his sleep - "_Please...Don't...I don't want that..."_

Brian had never had the courage to run away from home even though there were times when the situations at his house were extremely horrid. Having that in mind, he could tell that Justin's past was probably one filled with terror and pain. The only problem was that the young man's guess was in truth an understatement of what the teen boy had gone through.

The brunet knew that the first thing he had to do that morning was to inform Debbie about the fact that he finally collected the evidence that they needed to confront the boy. His second task was to actually talk to Justin. Brian knew that victims of abuse were closed-in-themselves people who preferred to ignore the past and disliked having social contacts, after all he was one of them. He also knew that he had stopped running away from his problems and had had the strength to confront them but he guessed that Justin wasn't quite there yet, that he might need a few years or even a lifetime to be able to confront his fears without actually fearing them.

On the other hand Brian was stunned by his own eagerness to help and protect the blond, something he had never experienced in his life till that moment. Was he actually falling for a complete stranger?

Maybe yes, maybe no.

After having gathered all of the information that he needed, Brian literally raced to the diner. He needed to tell Debbie.

"What's up with you so early in the morning?"

„I need to talk to you. _Now."_

She looked at him confusedly.

"Is everything okay?"

"No. Everything is _not_ okay. We need to talk privately. Right _now._"

After she heard what Brian had to say, the usually hyperactive redhead became shocked, upset, pissed off, and for-once-speechless.

"I can't believe it. That's...that's what Sunshine's been going through?"

"I bet he's been there for the past month or so. Where is he anyway, any idea?"

"He'll be at the diner tomorrow at around 6 A.M. I should talk to him!"

"I know what he's going through or so I think. I should be the one talking to him."

"All right. Be there tomorrow morning."

...

When Justin entered the diner he saw Debbie talking to a stranger. Said stranger was a tall brunet with a rather peculiar yet refined air about him. His presence did surprise the teen but the young boy became truly worried when the two adults stood up and walked over to his boot. Was that man a social worker?

"It's okay. We just want to talk to you", Brian said.

Justin shared a glance with Debbie who nodded and smiled in reassurance.

"Well boys, I won't be disturbing you so I'm taking my leave."

"I'm Brian Kinney. May I know your name?"

"Justin."

"Just one name?", Brian joked as he sat down across the teen.

"No", Justin answered shyly.

"What's your last name?"

"Taylor", the blond answered quietly.

"Justin Taylor. Nice name. I like it."

"You do?"

"Yeah. You don't look bad either."

"Uhm...Thanks", Justin said as a bright red blush crept all over his face.

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I don't have school today."

"Then you should be at home."

"I felt like walking around a bit and then I decided to get something to eat."

"You could just eat at home, instead of spending money at the diner."

„_Does he know something? __He acts suspicious. Could it be that he is in fact a social worker? Did Debbie call him? Have I been caught? Will they force me to go back to Craig's?''_

"Justin?"

"Huh?"

"Where did you just go?"

"What? Oh...I was thinking. I seem to do that a lot."

"I used to think a lot when I was your age, too. You know...My father used to beat me up on a regular basis and my mother would tell me that it would have been better if I had been a stillborn."

"I don't mean to sound rude or anything but why are you telling me this? We just met."

"I want you to know that you can talk to me."

„_He definitely knows."_

"You know don't you?"

"I don't know all the details but I know that you showed up on Liberty Avenue a month ago, that you have lost a lot of weight and that you have been wearing the same clothes for some time now."

"Oh..."

"Let me finish. For the past month I kept on hearing weird noises coming out of the alley next to my apartment building. I am a curious man and because of that trait of mine I had a camera record the nightly activities that seamed to happen in the alley. Last night I caught you on tape."

Justin remained silent.

"Please don't be mad. Debbie was worried about you and so was I."

Then Brian realized what he had just confessed.

„_Oh well. Too late now. __He knows my secret and I know his.__"_

...


End file.
